Why parents are on the frontline of the climate crisis
I have worked in sustainability since 2010 but having children changed everything for me. The stakes were suddenly so much higher because of course the survival of our species meant, in practise, the survival of my own flesh and blood. Getting my house in order became of paramount importance and I realised that it is just such a big mountain to climb when you’ve got to overhaul how you live and change a lifetime’s worth of bad habits. So while they’re still young (4 and 7) and wanting to spend time with me, I thought I'd give my kids a head-start by teaching them how to live more sustainably, more mindfully, and equip them with the tools for how to effect change – because, of course, the goal posts keep shifting and they will need to be part of the solution, not the problem. This wasn’t just about role modelling the behaviour but talking them through the whys of it all in a way that was engaging and fun, and therefore effective.
Parents are in such a powerful position to educate their children how to be good stewards of the Planet because:
we're influential in as much as (particularly young) children listen to us and we can link what we have learned with practical action because we control household spending;
we’re effective because we know our children best and can tailor what we do and say to their personalities, as well as tap into their interests;
and we’re invested because we care the most about our children’s futures in an increasingly unstable world. The exponential growth in parent-climate movements speaks to how our long-term thinking jars with the short-term planning of governments and corporates.
What you will need
Time: 30mins - 1 hour a week.
An idea: try something from the Kids Activities section and pick something that will appeal to your child and suit your/their mood and the weather.
The right frame of mind: believe that understanding, valuing and respecting the Planet is as fundamental a life skill as knowing how to eat well and how to get along with others.*
* Healthy bodies/minds, healthy relationships, healthy Planet - these are all interdependent and you cannot have one without the others.A notepad/camera to record the fun + share with others #bigdreamslittlefooprints.
You don’t need to be an ‘expert’ in all of this or know very much at all. In fact I’d be careful about how much you read in the mainstream media about the climate crisis; it’s frightening and truly heart-breaking. My top piece of advice is to take care of number one. You need to engage with this emergency from a place of love and hope – for your children and their future, for others, for all living things. If you fall into despair, anger and hopelessness, you will quickly burn out. And your children need you. If you are already feeling this way then you may just feel better, in time, if you focus on the agency you do have as a parent by leading your family in working together to make a difference, one step at a time. Joining a supportive on- or offline community of others doing likewise – Eco Action Families or Parents for Future UK for example – will also be utterly transformative. I promise you.
To give families a helping hand, I am running a COP26 Climate Countdown, in partnership with Fife-based Wild Planet Explorers, with weekly posts on activities and actions families can take ahead of the Climate Conference in Glasgow in November. They are simple, fun and empowering. In making better choices in our lives we realise how much power we actually have, are happier because we are aligning our actions with our values, and in the process can strengthen our relationships within the family as well as with members of the wider community, because so much of living more sustainably is about pulling together.
I would love to hear how you get on.